Open Access Journal Publishing at Otago University: Introduction
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Otago Journal Services (OJS) is an initiative of the University of Otago Library. It provides an Open Access publishing service that aims to increase the impact and visibility of high-quality research. Our aim is to support University of Otago researchers in the design, production and online distribution of their open journal. Our online open access publishing model follows best practices, and standards that are designed to increase the reach and impact of the research, as well as providing long-term stewardship of the material after publication. Journals can publish and promote University of Otago student and staff research, but are not limited to it; most journals publish a mix of international and domestic research. OJS can be used to create a high-quality open journal that fills a gap in academic publishing , or promotes local content that may not find a large international audience, but can serve local researchers, practitioners, and communities. The information in this guide will help you decide if open publishing is for you, and how to go about it. You will be given clear information on what is involved in setting up and running a journal using Open Journal Systems, and the levels of administrative support you will need to make it work. You will not need a high level of technical knowledge to successfully implement your own OJS Journal. If you have any questions or concerns about this please contact the Otago Journal Service team at the library. |
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Open access (OA) publishing is a model of academic publishing where scholarly articles and research papers are made freely available to anyone with an internet connection, without the need for a subscription or paywall. This means that anyone can read, download, copy, distribute, and use the published research, as long as they give appropriate credit to the original authors. The Otago Journal Service is ideally run on a Diamond Open Access model of publishing whereby research articles are made freely available, globally, from publication. Some journals charge a membership fee in return for a print version of the journal, but electronic access is always free of charge for authors and readers, and others have an embargo for six months before making their most recent content fully OA. |
Open Journal Systems from PKP
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The OJS services is run on the Open Journal Systems platform. Open Journal Systems is an open-source software platform for managing and publishing scholarly journals online. It was developed within the Simon Fraser University (Canada) by the Public Knowledge Project (PKP) and is used widely by academic institutions and organizations around the world. As of 2023 approximately 50000 journals in 148 countries were being published using Open Journal Systems. OJS provides a complete solution for managing the editorial workflow, publishing content online, and indexing and archiving articles. It includes features such as peer review, article tracking, user management, email notifications, and website customization. OJS is free to use and can be customized to suit the needs of different journals and publishers.
OJS articles are fully indexed in Google Scholar, and can be registered with DOAJ, Scopus, PubMed, as well as many other indexing and abstracting services. Journals on OJS are registered with CrossRef for DOIs, making them globally findable through the CrossRef service.
PKP has a globally distributed and highly talented workforce of community support professionals, systems administrators, software developers, social science researchers, academic librarians, and university students. They have been publishing open-source software since 2000 and are supported by Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada.
Open Access at the University of Otago; the Otago Journal Service
Open Access publishing at the University of Otago is supported in a number of ways. This guide describes a service offered by the University Library which aims to support and encourage researchers, departments, and programs seeking to publish academic research in an open format.
We do this by helping to set up journal sites using the Open Journal Systems software tool. OJS is an open source software package produced by the Public Knowledge Project, with the support of Simon Fraser University, Canada.
Library staff are available to offer different levels of support, depending on the situation. We can be very active in setting up the journal, providing ongoing support of a technical and administrative nature, or we can simply set up the site to be developed by you, as you see fit. The first step to getting started is to contact your Subject Librarian.
Becoming a part of Otago Journal Service (OJS)
If you are interested in setting up an online journal (open-access or subscription-based) OR you already have an online journal, based within your Department, the Library’s 'Otago Journals service' can assist you.
The Library’s OUR Journals service can:
- Provide expertise to enable you to set up your journal online.
- Provide the infrastructure for sharing your journal (using Open Journal Systems).
- Offer training in using OJS, enabling you to:
- control the content of your journal;
- publish issues independently;
- manage the design aspects of your journal.
- Host your journal and preserve journal content, including back-up.
- Support stability, by setting up unique Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for your journal.
For more information on how the library can help you, please refer to the Library Support tab of this guide.
We use the Open Journal Systems (OJS) software because it assists with every stage of the refereed publishing process from receiving submissions through to online publication.
REMEMBER: The University of Otago Library can play an important role in supporting the development and success of your OJS journal by providing technical expertise, support, and training. Be sure to reach out to us to explore the resources and services we offer in this area.